Attorney Albert Goodwin

Albert Goodwin, Esq. is the founder and lead attorney of the Law Offices of Albert Goodwin, PA. He represents consumers and small businesses in bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and debtor-creditor litigation across South Florida.

Practice Focus

Attorney Goodwin's practice is concentrated in:

• Chapter 7 consumer liquidation cases
• Chapter 13 repayment plans, including mortgage cures, lien strips, and cramdowns
• Chapter 11 reorganizations, including Subchapter V small-business cases
• Foreclosure defense in Florida state court
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) litigation
• Defense of consumer collection lawsuits and contested judgment proceedings

Admissions and Practice Areas

Attorney Goodwin is admitted to practice in:

• The Supreme Court of Florida (The Florida Bar)
• The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
• The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

Approach

Attorney Goodwin personally handles every client matter at the firm. That means the lawyer who answers your questions during the initial consultation is the same lawyer who drafts your petition, appears at your 341 meeting of creditors, and argues any contested motions. Direct attorney access matters most when something unexpected happens – a trustee question, a lift-stay motion, a creditor adversary proceeding – and you need an experienced lawyer to respond quickly and correctly.

He approaches every case with three principles in mind: tell the client the truth about what filing will and will not accomplish; respect the dignity of clients who are often arriving at the firm at a low point in their financial lives; and make sure every petition and every schedule is accurate, because errors in bankruptcy filings have consequences that linger long after the case closes.

Community Involvement

The firm regularly publishes plain-English articles on consumer bankruptcy and foreclosure topics to help South Florida residents understand their rights before they ever speak to a lawyer. Attorney Goodwin has been quoted in national media outlets on consumer-rights topics including debt collection, foreclosure, and credit reporting.

The Cases the Firm Sees Most Often

The firm's case mix mirrors what is actually happening in South Florida households and small businesses. The most common matters that come through the door include:

• Wage earners who fall behind on credit cards and medical bills after a job loss, divorce, or medical event and want to know whether Chapter 7 will eliminate the debt without putting their home or car at risk
• Homeowners several months behind on a mortgage who need to use Chapter 13 to cure arrears, strip a wholly unsecured second mortgage, or stop a scheduled foreclosure sale
• Small-business owners with personal guaranties on SBA loans, commercial leases, or trade debt who need Subchapter V Chapter 11 to keep operating while restructuring
• Consumers facing post-judgment wage garnishment, bank levies, or vehicle repossession who need an emergency filing within days
• Clients harassed by debt collectors in violation of the FDCPA and FCCPA who have a separate damages claim against the collector

How Attorney Goodwin Prepares a Case

Bankruptcy is paperwork-intensive. The Bankruptcy Code requires every debtor to file a petition, schedules of assets and liabilities, a statement of financial affairs, a statement of monthly income, and a means-test calculation, along with credit-counseling certificates and copies of recent tax returns and pay stubs. Errors in those documents are not minor – an inaccurate schedule can result in denial of discharge, criminal referral under 18 U.S.C. § 152, or revocation of discharge under 11 U.S.C. § 727(d).

Attorney Goodwin's pre-filing process is designed to surface those issues before the petition is filed:

• A detailed review of the prior two years of bank statements to identify transfers, payments to insiders, and asset movements that the trustee will ask about
• A real-property and personal-property inventory tested against the Florida bankruptcy exemptions, including the Florida homestead exemption
• A tax-return review covering recent years – particularly important when older income tax debt may be dischargeable
• A means-test calculation that uses the proper median-income figures for the household size and a careful Form 122A-2 or 122C-2 if the client is above median
• An express discussion of which debts will be discharged, which will survive, and which will require a reaffirmation agreement to keep collateral

Representation at the 341 Meeting and Beyond

Attorney Goodwin personally appears with each client at the 341 meeting of creditors. In the Southern District of Florida, 341 meetings are currently conducted by Zoom for consumer cases assigned to the U.S. Trustee's panel trustees in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The meeting is short – usually five to ten minutes – but the trustee's questions need accurate, prepared answers, and the rare contested case can begin with a trustee follow-up request after the meeting.

For cases that develop complications after filing – objections to exemptions under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 4003, motions for relief from the automatic stay, motions to dismiss under 11 U.S.C. § 707(b), adversary proceedings under Section 523 or Section 727, or contested plan confirmation in Chapter 13 – the same attorney who filed the case handles the litigation. There is no hand-off to outside counsel.

Initial Consultations

The initial consultation with Attorney Goodwin is a candid working session, not a sales pitch. Clients leave the consultation with a written or verbal recommendation that addresses, at a minimum: which chapter (if any) fits the situation, what assets are exposed and what assets are protected, what the realistic timeline looks like, what the case will cost, and what alternatives – debt settlement, non-bankruptcy alternatives, or simply doing nothing if the client is judgment-proof – deserve consideration first.

Languages and Accessibility

The firm regularly represents Spanish-speaking clients and can accommodate Spanish-language consultations when needed. The Coral Gables office is centrally located near the Miracle Mile, with parking, and is convenient to clients from Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Brickell, downtown Miami, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Doral, Hialeah, Aventura, North Miami Beach, and into Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I work with Attorney Goodwin or with a paralegal?

Clients work directly with Attorney Goodwin from the initial consultation through case closing. A paralegal may assist with document collection and scheduling, but the legal work – petition drafting, schedule preparation, 341 meeting appearance, plan negotiation, and any litigation – is handled by the attorney personally.

Does Attorney Goodwin handle cases outside Miami-Dade?

Yes. The firm represents clients throughout the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida, which covers Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, and Highlands counties. Most consumer cases are filed in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or West Palm Beach divisions.

What does Attorney Goodwin look at first during a consultation?

The first step is identifying whether the client has an immediate emergency – a foreclosure sale within days, an active wage garnishment, a scheduled vehicle repossession, a bank levy – that may require an emergency filing under Rule 1007 with deferred schedules. Once any emergency is contained, the focus shifts to determining the appropriate chapter based on income, asset exposure, the nature of the debt, and the client's longer-term goals.

Are most cases consumer or business?

The firm's consumer caseload is larger than its business caseload, but business cases – particularly Subchapter V cases and personally-guarantied small-business workouts – are a regular part of the practice. See the business bankruptcy page for more detail.

How quickly can a case be filed?

A straightforward Chapter 7 with complete documentation can usually be filed within one to three weeks of retention. True emergency filings – for example, a foreclosure sale set for the next morning – can be filed in a matter of hours using the abbreviated petition procedure under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 1007(c), with the schedules and statements filed within fourteen days after the petition. Attorney Goodwin has filed emergency petitions the same day the client first walked into the office.

How are flat fees structured?

Most consumer Chapter 7 cases are handled on a flat-fee basis, with the fee disclosed in writing under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 2016. Chapter 13 cases use the no-look fee structure approved by the Southern District of Florida, with additional fees for contested matters disclosed in advance. Chapter 11 cases are typically handled on a retainer-and-hourly basis with court-approved compensation under 11 U.S.C. § 330. The court filing fees and credit-counseling fees are separate from the attorney's fee.

What Sets the Practice Apart

South Florida has a crowded bankruptcy bar. What clients consistently report finding valuable about working with this firm is straightforward: they reach the attorney directly when they call, they get clear answers about what the case will accomplish and what it will not, and the petition is filed by a lawyer who has seen the same trustees, the same judges, and the same recurring issues in the Southern District of Florida for years. The work is not delegated, and the answers are not generic.

Bankruptcy is one of the few areas of practice where a single missed deadline, a misclassified exemption, or an inaccurate schedule entry can permanently affect the outcome. The firm's structure – one attorney, focused practice, direct client contact – is designed to minimize those errors and to make sure that the strategic decisions in a case are made by the attorney who knows the file rather than by support staff working from a checklist.

Contact Attorney Goodwin

To schedule a confidential consultation, call 786-522-1411 or email [email protected]. The office is located at 121 Alhambra Plaza, Suite 1000, Coral Gables, FL 33134. More information about the firm is available on the about us page and the case results page.